In the Fluid Locomotion Laboratory, we take a multidisciplinary approach, integrating comparative anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, fluid dynamics, and biologically-inspired robotic devices to investigate the ways in which organisms interact with their environment and drive the evolutionary selection of morphology and function.
Bioscience and Bioengineering
This research cluster includes both basic and applied research in the areas of neuroscience, neural engineering, regenerative medicine and point-of-care technologies. Research at NJIT includes understanding functions of the brain and spinal cord under normal, injured and diseased states at molecular, cellular and functional levels through experimental, theoretical and computational methods. Regenerative medicine research deals with the process of replacing dysfunctional cells with regenerating cells, tissues or organs to restore normal functions.
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The Institute for Brain and Neuroscience Research (IBNR) takes a multipronged approach toward understanding neural circuits and their disruption. IBNR neurobiologists examine the simple nervous systems of animals such as crustaceans and worms, while mathematicians develop models of neuronal patterns.
Research in the Laboratory for Neurobiology and Behavior examines the interactions between sensory and motor systems that are used to generate and control animal behavior. Experiments in the lab focus on two main questions: how sensory representations of movement are encoded by sensory systems and translated into motor commands, and how pairs of animals integrate social cues in the control of cooperative behaviors.
Work in the Laboratory of Evolutionary Pattern and Process is comparative in nature. We analyze phenotypic and genomic variation across multiple species and lineages to understand the evolutionary history of life and the mechanisms responsible for maintaining biodiversity. Part of this work is historical. We estimate the phylogenetic relationships of living and extinct organisms in a temporal context, quantify ecological change over time, and reconstruct patterns of biogeography and trait evolution.
The Laboratory of Neuroethology of Locomotion studies the neurobiology of locomotion: How do nervous systems generate coherent muscle activity to propel animals in their environment? In particular, we focus on the levels of neuronal circuits coordination in the locomotion of the nematode, C. elegans.
The the Neural Engineering for Speech and Hearing Laboratory examines how the brain processes sound through psychophysical, physiological and computational modeling experiments.
The primary research focus of the Neural Prosthetics Laboratory (NPL) is to develop novel and translational neural prosthetic approaches and implantable devices in order to restore function in people with neurological disabilities resulting from injuries to the central nervous system, as in spinal cord and brain injuries, and strokes.
How do nervous systems evolve and adapt to extreme environments? Evolution through natural selection has shaped nervous systems to generate behaviors. However, there are very few opportunities to study neural-circuit evolution where the ancestral and derived forms, as well as the adaptive environment, are all known and accessible. The Neuroecology of Unusual Animals Laboratory studies the synthesis of neuroethological and ecological principles to understand the evolution of neural adaptation.
The Sensorimotor Quantification and Rehabilitation Laboratory (SQRL) researches various methods of concussion diagnosis and rehabilitation to return people to their baseline. Concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries can severely affect a person’s quality of life or even prevent them from routine actions. Symptoms include headache, light sensitivity, nausea and fogginess, among others, which are caused in part by defects in the oculomotor (eye movement) and vestibular (balance) systems.